Getty Video of former Bills coach turned ESPN on NFL analyst Rex Ryan's emotional speech about Damar Hamlin's recovery goes viral.
Former Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan could be making the jump from the television studio back to the sidelines.
Ryan has been out of the NFL since being fired by the Bills in the final week of the 2016 season, but could have the chance to return to the league in the coming year. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that new Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is taking a look at Ryan for a top position.
“A little Sunday morning scoopage: new Broncos head coach Sean Payton interviewed a surprise candidate this week to be his defensive coordinator, ESPN’s Rex Ryan,” Glazer tweeted.
Rex Ryan’s Connection to Sean Payton
As Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper noted, Ryan has not coached with Payton in the past but does have a familiar connection. Rex Ryan’s brother, Rob Ryan, was the defensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints from the start of the 2013 season until he was fired mid-season in 2015. Rob Ryan was an assistant coach with the Bills during his brother’s tenure as head coach.
The Denver Broncos have interviewed former New York Jets, Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan for their Defensive Coordinator position, per @JayGlazer
Payton has given hints about the coaching team he’s assembling in Denver, saying he wants to create the right culture.
“If we are maniacal with the details on the field, then we have to be that way in every other element — the training room, the weight room, how we approach ticket sales,” Payton said, via USA Today’s Broncos Wire. “Everything matters. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, it’s only this that’s important.’ Everything matters. How we traveled. How we celebrated in the locker room.
“We brought a $30,000-dollar stereo system — Club Dub. We thought it was important, especially on the road, that everyone could hear our locker room celebrating and say, ‘What is going on in there?’ That is creating culture. With the right people, and with the details — I can go on and on.”
Ryan Reflected on Short Tenure With Bills
Ryan’s tenure as a head coach brought mixed results. He led the New York Jets to two straight AFC title games in his first two years as head coach in 2009 and 2010, but did not lead them to another winning season and was fired at the end of the 2014 season.
He came to the Bills the following season, leading the team to an 8-8 record in his first season in 2015. Ryan was 7-8 before being fired prior to the season finale in 2016. He became a polarizing figure, as his bluster in public statements failed to materialize into results on the field.
Report: Broncos interviewed Rex Ryan for vacant DC role. 😳 t.co/XNo4dyToNl
Ryan later told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that he may have set expectations too high in saying he would end the team’s 14-year playoff drought, but said he wanted to give some hope to a team after head coach Doug Marrone and quarterback Kyle Orton both unexpectedly left at the conclusion of the previous season.
“I set the expectations too high,” Ryan said.” Like, boy, that’s a shock. In a way, I felt, why not us? I stepped in where the head coach had quit, the defensive coordinator quit and the quarterback quit on them. So, I thought that it was important at the time to say, ‘You know what? Shoot, I believe in you. And I’m proud to be the coach here.’ Every bit of that was true. I put that truck (with the Bills logo) around town. I was all-in. Even though those other three had quit, I wasn’t a quitter. I was ready. And I wanted to be there. And I wanted to win. And I thought I could win.”